This is a French edition of The History and Present State of Virginia by Robert Beverley, first published in 1705. Beverley was a native Virginian, born in Jamestown circa 1667. His history of Virginia is the earliest written by a Virginian, and the most reliable and informative account since that of Captain John Smith. Beverley was a planter and political figure in colonial Virginia and wrote about all aspects of life in Virginia, including natural history, language, culture, and agriculture. Included in his work are 14 engravings of Native Americans based on Theodore De Bry's Grand Voyages, which in turn were based on original drawings by John White. This French edition was published by Claude Jordan in 1712. Frontispiece, [4 pp.], 432 pp., [16 pp.], 14 plates, 1 fold-out table. 16mo., original full leather with raised bands, gilt tooling, and red title label on spine.

References: Howes #B410; Sabin #5117.

Condition: A

The engravings are overall very clean and bright, with occasional minor soiling. The text is very good with minor toning and a light damp stain along the fore-edge of the first 50 or so pages. A previous owner's stamp appears on several pages of text. The hinges are starting, and the back cover appears to have been professionally reattached at some point. The covers and spine show light wear, with some cracking along the edges of the spine. Overall a very nice example.